Pedagogical development in local anaesthetic training in paediatric dentistry using virtual reality simulator

Area of Science:

• Dental Education Technology
• Virtual Reality in Medicine

Background:

• Dental pedagogy is evolving with technological advancements.
• Virtual reality (VR) is an underutilized educational tool in dentistry.
• The application of VR in paediatric dentistry local anaesthesia (LA) teaching remains unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate dental students' perceptions of VR simulation for paediatric dental LA.
• To determine if VR simulation can improve the student learning experience in LA administration.
• To assess VR as an adjunct to traditional LA teaching methods.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire-based study involving 71 dental students.
• Participants completed surveys before and after using a dental LA VR simulator.
• Descriptive analysis was conducted using SPSS and GraphPad Prism software.

Main Results:

• 89.9% of students believed VR would improve their LA skills.
• 83.1% reported increased engagement in learning activities with VR.
• 55.0% agreed VR improved their understanding of anatomical landmarks.
• 56.4% found VR added value compared to traditional methods.

Conclusions:

• VR simulation effectively enhances student engagement and learning in paediatric dentistry.
• VR serves as a valuable supplementary tool for local anaesthesia training.
• The study supports the integration of VR into dental education for improved skill acquisition.